A plan (part 2)...

[alexpgp]

When I woke up after 5 hours of sleep, it was with several jumbled thoughts about my harebrained plan, set forth earlier today. Let's see if I can unjumble some of them.

Speaking cynically, I believe the idea of a systematic campaign to teach Islamic languages and culture would find tremendous resistance. For example:

Entrenched educrats would likely shrink in horror at the idea of emphasizing a course of study (i.e., of language) that requires rigor and discipline. It would go against contemporary notions of shoring up student self-esteem that pursues the relaxation (and at times the redefinition, downward) of standards in education. Further, the time frame that would be required for the implementation to make any sense would not leave time for years of research, assessment, and deliberation.

In other quarters, folks who bridle at what they perceive as the suppression of free religious expression anytime a decision is made to curtail the mention of God in a school setting would likely have a conniption fit at the idea of schools teaching Middle Eastern culture, which is very heavily influenced by the Islamic religion. Objections of similar intensity may, in theory, be expected from those who oppose the mention of God in school settings, too.

There are also many who believe that the study of something either implies its advocacy (I remember some idiot challenging my reading of The Communist Manifesto on this basis), places the student at risk of being influenced by the subject ("Why are you reading that? It's poison!"), or something along those lines. In their view, it is better to believe what one is told than to find out for oneself. (This, unfortunately, is becoming an ever more prevalent trend in our schools, which - as I have said before, I believe - are now in the business of teaching students to have opinions rather than to think on their own.)

Next (and certainly not last) such a program would not provide any kind of "instant fix" that we, as a nation, have come to expect for everything. (There is, after all, no problem in the world that takes more than two, maybe three hours to solve. You don't believe me? Check out the length of the typical movie or television show.)

Assuming that these and other objections can be overcome, it may come to pass that, having implemented such a program, we find there are certain aspects of Islam with which we profoundly disagree. So what? Knowledge is, I think, still preferable to ignorance.

I still cannot shake the feeling that September 11, 2001 was as significant to us as finding ourselves looking up at Sputnik back on October 4, 1957 and realizing the world had changed. In fact, I am certain that recent events will, in the end, turn out to be vastly more significant.

We cannot sit idly by.

Cheers...

P.S. As an aside, thinking of the concept of "international understanding," I am reminded of something someone told to me with tongue in cheek a long time ago, when I roomed at the so-called "International College" at Stony Brook. The remark went something along the lines of: "This college allows students from different countries to live together, exchange ideas, and share common experiences, so that their misconceptions about other cultures may be transformed into a clear understanding of precisely why they hate each other's guts." The remark was intended to be funny, but while I lived there, I noticed that it occasionally was right on the mark as far as certain individuals were concerned.

Comments

Downward trends

[tamaraland.livejournal.com]

It's overwhelmingly difficult to teach any kind of broadening cultural stance in the US. Ironic if you think about it. I remember I was the only non-arab in my arabic class in University 10 years ago, and as a 175cm blonde, I didn't blend. It was terribly difficult, but the rush that came from turning those mystic scrawls into real words was well worth the effort. There just doesn't seem to be any kind of kindling of the inquisitive spirit that makes that kind of endeavor acceptable anymore. I haven't spent a lot of time in the US since University, but my language training has been something that has opened the door to many cultures. I was warned of terrors to be expected as a woman in Morocco, and many of the islamic FSU regions I visited while working with the Russian Army's sports clubs. All I received were incredibly warm welcomes (albeit matched with more than a few unwanted advances), but more importantly, the opportunity to get closer people who would have seemed beyond alien. I'm constantly amazed by how very small the American world is.

Sorry, this is a lot of random rambling for someone who just hit random to get here.

Re: Downward trends

[alexpgp.livejournal.com]

A very intersting ramble.

Thanks for hitting the "random" link, and feel free to stop back by.

Cheers...

[blorky.livejournal.com]

"Knowledge is, I think, still preferable to ignorance."

Agreed. 100%.

[papoose.livejournal.com]

"clear understanding of precisely why they hate each other's guts"

I've seen this as a result of bussing (in my own kids). One of my kids went to an elementary school in the county where a few inner city african americans were bussed in. There was really no intermingling and mostly just misunderstanding (ie they hated eachoter). On the other hand, my son went to a magnet school for gifted students in the city, and the "bussing" seemed to be benificial in mixing the races.

I tend to be critical as I went to a very culturaly diverse school system where we all grew up together and knew we were all just kids. A bit different culturally, but we embraced that as something to be proud of, not something to fight about.

After transfering to a few different schools in high school, I learned the true state of race relations. Apparently I grew up in disneyland.

I see nothing but good in learning about other cultures. I have always thought particularly our shcools should be teaching us about south and central america (oh and canada), as those are are neighbors (and fellow countrymen).

Since we apparently only learn about these other cultures on tv, we are all doomed.